St. Louis Rams Weekly Roundtable: Rams Crushed in Opener

This is the first regular season edition of RamblinFan’s St. Louis Rams Weekly Roundtable, where co-editors Nathan Kearns (@nkearns12) and Blaine Grisak (@bxgrisak1993), and staff-writer (and co-editor at LASportsHub) Anthony Khoury (@askmeabouthelaw), gather ’round to weigh in on five of the most pressing issues to arise from the Rams’ most recent game.

This week, the Roundtable will cover the Rams’ crushing 34-6 home loss in their season opener to the Minnesota Vikings. So let’s jump right in…

1. Let’s just start with the obvious question: was Sunday’s 34-6 loss to the Minnesota Vikings the most disappointing opening game loss for the Rams in recent history? 

Sep 7, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; Minnesota Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen (97) sacks St. Louis Rams quarterback Austin Davis (9) during the second half at the Edward Jones Dome. The Minnesota Vikings defeat St. Louis Rams 34-6. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Anthony K.: For me, yes–absolutely. The Rams hadn’t entered a season with the level of hype and expectations that they had prior to Sam Bradford‘s season-ending knee injury during the preseason in 10 years. Despite Bradford’s injury, however, Rams fans were trying to remain hopeful that the team could still be just as competitive and push for a playoff spot. After seeing the Rams get absolutely crushed at home against the Vikings, Rams fans’ hopes and dreams were crushed as well. I’m not sure how there could ever be a more disappointing opening game loss, to be honest.

Blaine G.: It’s definitely one of the most disappointing losses in the Jeff Fisher era, especially given the expectations that the Rams had going into the season. I don’t know if it’s the most disappointing loss in recent memory, but it’s certainly up there. In 2009, I went to the Rams’ opener in Seattle–a game which the Rams lost 28-0–and this game reminded me a lot of that one. The Rams simply did not show up.

Nathan K.: I suppose. Then again, there aren’t many opening day losses that aren’t disappointing. While the defeat was certainly jarring, I think that the blow was exacerbated by the elevated level of expectations for the Rams this year. But, that game is in the past. Time to set sights set on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.